The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-04-29

EXECUTIVE OFFICE.
TALLAHASSEE. FLA. April ,. INS

| quiry. have 10 say that the eight on
/ nine million acres of Florida Lands. Ia
| which yoUr company viii he entitled un-
T der its charter, ,at the rate Of fifteen thou
sand acres per mile a. each section of ten
miles is laid with iron, are m the follow
/ ing named counties. Ia Wit; BrrNarl.
Monroe. Dade ami the southern portion
of Manate", large body. estimated AT
three million acres. lying south Of the
eth degree of north latitude. and which
are now being drained bya system of ca
mails in process of construction by a
Philadelphia company, under contract
with the State of Florida. and having a
capital of ten million dollars. These
lands are regarded when drained. as
among the richest ia this Stale. The
balance of the land L. which your road
viii be entitled under its charter. are
principally i'm the counties Of Orange.
Polk. Manatee. sumter. iiillshoro and
fernando. anT yours respectfully.
". D BLoAHAH
Governor OF Florida aud President Of
Trustees Internal Improvement Fund.
looPy
EXE,TTINE OFFICE.
TALLAHASSEE, FiA.. April ~. 1854.
ten. !. B Gordon. pro-iirut international
Railroad and Steamship Company
SIR-it becomes my pleasing duty 10
inform YOU that the Board Of Trustees
of the Internal Improvement Fund has
Withdrawn from sale. except to actual
settlers I'M lot, not to exceed 100 acres.
all the public lands of the State in which
the International Railroad Company iS
interested under III charter.
The money arising from thr sale. To
actual settlers, except what may ~" nee
essary to pay any indebtedness of the
fund. which of course viii br small
will b" held in TIA" Treasury. to be- turned
over Ia your road when IL hrcomr- rn-
titled Ia ~" lands.
Very respectfully.
". -. BLoNHAM
Governor and Pre.t. Int. lmpt Board.
II seems to me that your own letters
and messa ge quoted above. are sufficient
proof of tins charge. A. Ia its far reach
ing results in d"faning the good name
of the State aud Governor. uo one need
go far for the evidence. I received sew
eral letters myself. as did three of our
bank presidents with whom | have con
ferred. all making inquiry as io ~" value
of the bonds that were advertised IN all
parts of the country. holding out 10 the
purchaser. in addition to "a good bond
they would receive forty acres Of land.
when the highest authority Of our State
had said the lands wer" Withdrawn from
sale. and there was every reason for
those outside of the State tO believe the
lands were here for the purchasers. but
at hom" We had reason to know Il was
not 80. as Won had said in NOuT message
only sixty days before. that every acre
had been disposed of at the time Of the
Disston sale i'm June. lssl and few
days before the passage of the hill, "a
Committee of the Legislature had re-
ported the same thing.
NV third charge Is ia reference Ia Aonr
action as chairman of the Board of lrus-
tees of the Internal Improvement Fund.
in deciding To the Atlantia aud Cult Coast
and Okeechobce Land Company Ia
5s3,O6 acres, whereas, according 10 the
report of the committee. consisting of
ColoDels Daniels. Bradford ANA Davidson,
appointed 10y GOV. Perry To- examine and
report on said lands. the company are
only entitled 60 about ~. 600 acres. Ny
own opinion is that the engineers who
first examined and passed upon It. did
not take the time necessary 10 thoroughly
look into the matter. | h"Nc never for
moment doubted their honesty. but they
did not make enough allowance for the
two or three wears of dry weather that
had INTERVIEWED before they made thcireX-
animation. Ii il quite evident tome that
no one codld have examined the vast
tract of land embraced in those dee H. in
the short time those gentlemen had 10 do
the work. hence | have never thought il
a prudent action on the part Of the
Board of Trustees To have allowed them
selves to be forced into the awkward di-
lemma of pushing those deeds through
during the last six weeks Of your admin
istration. If more deiiberaiion had been
used, there would have been no neres-
sity of the second examination. and Of a
suit at law 10 recover the land wrong
fully decided away. The proofs of thi-
assertion are of too recent date to require
me 10 give them. and | will close what !
consider the material charge, made 10y
me against you.
In the latter part oi your letter you ~
sinuate that wanted Mr.. Popeto come
down. as YOU expressed ID, ia order that
! might run against Governor Perry. !
am glad that YOU nave referred Ia the
subject. and while ! am unable Ia 81"
what effect 10 can possibly baN" on your
fitness or uutitness Tor TIA" United States
Senate. | have heard some similar insIn-
uations before. and viii take thir orpor.
tunity 10 place the matter b"for" the
public in IL true light. " the time the
convention Wa held al Pensacola. re |
fused to allow my name Ia go before !
them. Il II well known that on To" first !
report reaching here that Gen. Perry had |
been nominated. ~omru uf my friends" "ane |
To me and desired m 10 send him a con |
gratulatory telegram. which I refused to |
do until | could be- assured that he was 4
not "A lpgate" of the BloEhau adiuini7tra- /
tion. | told them ! wanted % see some I
one elected who would see that the inter |
tsts of the people were projected, and II |
| should find that Gen. Perry was put ]
forward in the interests of the BloNh /
ring. could not support him. \ day or /
two after ! went To Paiatka tO attend the /
district convention. and there met great 1
many Of my friends. lifelong Democrats, |
who were of the same opinion ~ myself, I
and they desired me to allow NY name /
10 be- used a. a candidate to represent /
that feeling throughout the state. re-
Piled that a three-cornercd fight of that
kind would certainly throw the State
back into the hands of the Republicans:
they then asked me. II Ar Pope would
come down" If 1 would allow my
name to be used. and / stated that !
would. and several as thorough and
Lried Democrats as there are IN
the State came to this city To
the movement. but after con
and our better judgment pre-
yailing il was deemed best to send tel
sgram 10 Gen. Perry inviting him To an
interview. which he readily consented 10
grant He AT once came tO this city and
had an interview with him which wa
satisfactory 10 me, ~ he assured
me he did not propose 10 represent any
,Iiaue or fartion. but to look Ia the inter
-sts of the whole State, which tiink ne
has done / then wrote to my friends
that had seen Gen. Perry ana that
bad determineI Ia supoort him. ! also
wrote a letter 10 the Hera!d u this city
pndorsing the nomination A. warmly a
did anyone in the state. answered
hundred Of letters advising my friends
10 support Gen. Perry.
With this explanation and tie es idence